Alex Calder (musician)
Musical artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Calder (January 23, 1989 – March 4, 2026), known professionally as Alex Calder, was a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. He first came to prominence in the late 2000s as the drummer for the indie rock project Makeout Videotape, which he formed with Mac DeMarco in Vancouver.[1][2] After the project wound down, Calder pursued a solo career writing lo-fi, psychedelic pop songs. Captured Tracks released his debut EP, Time (2013), and his first full-length album, Strange Dreams (2015).[1][3]
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- Mold Boy
- Collage Party
Alex Calder | |
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Calder in 2013 | |
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| Born | Alexander Calder January 23, 1989 |
| Origin | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | March 4, 2026 (aged 37) |
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| Years active | 2008–2017, 2022–2026 |
| Label | Captured Tracks |
| Website | alexcalder |
Early life
Alexander Calder was born on January 23, 1989, in Edmonton, Alberta. He grew up with parents he described as "hippies" who filled the house with records by The Beatles and other 1960s acts.[4] His mother ran an Edmonton thrift store called Red Pony, where Calder worked for four years and frequently sourced his clothing.[5]
Calder started writing and recording his own material around 2005, initially experimenting with electronic music and audio manipulation before moving toward rock instrumentation.[6] During high school, he met fellow Edmonton native Mac DeMarco, and the two formed a jokey "bar-rock" band called The Meat Cleavers that mostly wrote songs about their hometown.[7][8][9]
Career
2008–2010: Makeout Videotape
Calder relocated to Vancouver in 2008 and formed Makeout Videotape with DeMarco.[10] The project signed to Unfamiliar Records in late 2009, with DeMarco having already recorded the Heat Wave! EP in his Vancouver garage; Calder joined as drummer for live shows under the alias "Alex Van Flip."[11] As the project's drummer, Calder contributed to its DIY aesthetic, which involved recording a series of CD-R EPs and the full-length album Ying Yang (2010).[12][13] He also starred as the female lead in the music video for the song "Only You."[14] In a 2010 interview, DeMarco joked that he wrote many of his songs about Calder, who was "having a rough time in his life right now," while Calder smiled and shook his head.[15] The band toured locally, with Calder taking odd jobs such as washing dishes and working retail at American Apparel (where he admitted to spending his shifts playing the video game SimAnt) to support himself financially.[14][16] Calder later stated he was unbothered by frequent comparisons to DeMarco during his solo career, praising his former bandmate's songwriting.[17][18]
2012–2016: Solo career
After parting ways with DeMarco, Calder returned to Edmonton and began working on solo material. He initially uploaded his music to Bandcamp under the pseudonym "Mold Boy," and used the alias "Collage Party" when submitting early tracks to music blogs. Although "Mold Boy" was intended to be an instrumental side-project for longer experimental songs, Calder eventually integrated these experimental styles into his main catalog.[17][4][19] Calder explained in a 2014 interview that he started Mold Boy partly as a "legal thing" to release music freely while keeping his identity secret, but admitted he "got a little greedy" and the projects eventually coexisted.[20]
His solo work reached the Brooklyn-based indie label Captured Tracks after DeMarco shared some of Calder's anonymous Collage Party demos with the label's founder, Mike Sniper. Sniper offered Calder a record deal, prompting him to drop the pseudonyms and release his official debut, the Time EP, under his own name in March 2013.[19][21] He recorded the project in his living room. The EP received positive reviews from critics, who highlighted the track "Suki and Me" as an example of his 1960s-inspired psychedelic pop sound.[22][23][24] A reviewer at AllMusic noted the EP's "very catchy pop songs" and its resemblance to fellow Captured Tracks artists like Beach Fossils and DeMarco, singling out "Suki and Me" as the standout track.[25] Pitchfork, in an earlier track review of "Suki and Me," described Calder's voice as "just on the other side of exhausted" and noted the song's drums "thumping at a half-lope."[26] Calder stated the track was a nostalgic nod to his youth, named after his childhood pet cat.[27]
Prior to the official release of his debut full-length album, Strange Dreams, Calder temporarily released the project for free. Due to scheduling delays at his label, he uploaded an unmastered version of the album to Bandcamp in May 2014, explaining that the songs felt "really old" to him.[28][17][29][30] Once Captured Tracks secured a formal schedule to distribute the album physically on vinyl, CD, and cassette, Calder removed the online version. He spent the intervening time reworking tracks for its official 2015 release.[28][31] In November 2014, Calder shared the single "Lola," a haunting track in which he repeats only the title over subtle tonal shifts.[32][33][34] Reviewers noted the final album possessed a darker, more melancholic tone compared to his peers, with critics comparing Calder's vocal delivery and hazy garage psychedelia to that of Bradford Cox (Deerhunter, Atlas Sound).[35] AllMusic's Tim Sendra described the record as "a much murkier, far more mysterious affair" than the Time EP, praising tracks like "No Device" for their "gooey soft rock appeal" while noting Calder's "courage to subvert his skill set in an interesting way."[36] NOW Magazine highlighted the "jangly, acid-tinged tracks" and Calder's "precise ear for pop ingenuity," naming "Strange Dreams" the top track.[37] Northern Transmissions praised the album's "remarkable songwriting worthy of being taken on its own, out of DeMarco's shadow,"[38] while other critics similarly commended the record's "smoggy atmosphere and understated charm."[38] The record also featured guest vocals from Caitlin Loney of Freelove Fenner on the song "Life Purpose."[39]
Calder promoted the album with a record release show at the Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn alongside Beach Fossils frontman Dustin Payseur's side project, Laced.[6] Later in 2015, Calder joined DeMarco for a six-week North American tour.[18] During this touring period, Calder's bassist Thomas Holmes was struck by a car after a show in Los Angeles, suffering multiple injuries including broken ribs and fractured vertebrae, which forced the band to cancel remaining dates with Surfer Blood.[40] In July 2016, Calder released a 15-track collection of home recordings titled Bend.[41][42] Initially released as a temporary Bandcamp exclusive, it was later given a physical release as a limited-edition cassette by Captured Tracks.[41][43] Exclaim! praised tracks like "Dealing With The Sun," "Fade," and "Shaking My Years Away" as "fully realized efforts," while noting that "consistency is the missing ingredient" on the cassette.[44] Slug Magazine similarly noted the record's "effortless" dream-pop quality.[45] Calder also released a self-issued covers EP in early 2016, featuring renditions of songs by Björk, The Breeders, and Stereolab.[46][47] That same year, he collaborated with Peter Sagar's project Homeshake for a charity split single. The record featured Calder's "Stuck Inside" on one side and Homeshake's "Nankhatai" on the other, with all proceeds benefiting the International Refugee Assistance Project.[48][49]
2017–2020: Self-titled album, allegation, and hiatus
On August 3, 2017, Captured Tracks announced the release of Calder's self-titled sophomore album, which was scheduled to be released on October 20, 2017.[50] To promote the record, Calder released the lead single "Morning Ritual", featuring guest vocals from Caroline Levasseur.[50][51] The album marked a departure from Calder's isolated bedroom-pop approach, as he recorded much of the project at the studio of his friend Garrett Johnson, who featured on the track "Half an Hour." Levasseur also contributed to a second track, "Another Day."[51] Austin Town Hall described the single as moving "back and forth between bouncing guitar licks and softer moments," finding "that happy spot that should pique listeners before the record drops."[52] Calder described the record as "sad clown music," drawing sonic inspiration from the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, artists such as Stereolab and Kate Bush, and the video game soundtracks of EarthBound and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.[50]
The album was never officially released. On October 12, 2017, Captured Tracks dropped Calder from their roster following an allegation of sexual assault.[53] Billboard and BuzzFeed News both reported that the Canadian musician had been dropped from the label amid the allegation, with Captured Tracks posting a statement that they were "no longer working with Alex moving forward."[54][55][56] The label canceled the album's release, halted the distribution of his back catalog, and canceled his upcoming release show at Sunnyvale in Brooklyn.[50]
On October 18, 2017, Calder issued a public statement addressing the allegation, which stemmed from an encounter in 2008. Stating that he was initially under the assumption of the interaction being consensual, he apologized to the accuser and announced an indefinite hold from his music career to seek counseling.[57] BrooklynVegan reported that Calder put his "music career and 'all creative pursuits'" on hold following the statement.[58]
2021–2026: Final years
Calder maintained a dedicated presence on his Instagram and YouTube pages where he posted comedic content and interacted with fans. Following a multi-year absence from music, Calder republished his full discography on digital streaming platforms in late 2021 and self-released archival material and independent music online via Bandcamp. This included the compilation albums Collage Party (2020) and Pleated (2022), which consisted of early unreleased demos, alongside standalone singles such as "Slide / Big Day" and "I Am Glue."[59] During this period, the shelved self-titled album also surfaced on streaming services,[60] with one retrospective review noting the record's "darker and harder to pin down" character compared to his earlier work.[60]
Personal life and death
Outside of music, Calder was an avid pinball player with a noted fondness for the AC/DC machine.[4] He was also known to host competitive poker games with friends in Montreal.[16] A passionate cook, he occasionally shared recipes online and ran a dedicated food website called "Alex Calder Eats."[4][61] He resided in Montreal, Quebec, with his girlfriend, Lindsay, and his pet cat, Jason.[59]
Calder died suddenly at his home on March 4, 2026, at the age of 37. His death was unexpected, and no cause of death was publicly disclosed. News of his passing was confirmed a month later on April 3, 2026, by his close friend and manager Christian Rowell via an obituary on Calder's official Bandcamp page. Rowell noted that Calder had been actively working on new music prior to his death, and announced plans to posthumously release an extended play of his final uncompleted songs.[59][3]
Musical style
Critics frequently described Calder's solo output as a lo-fi bedroom pop take on the Beach Boys, incorporating elements of The Beatles, Prince, and Hall & Oates.[6] He also cited bands like Stereolab, Pavement, Arthur Russell, Yo La Tengo, and Women as major influences.[5] His DIY recording approach was minimalist. He primarily used condenser microphones and audio interfaces paired with Ableton software. Being a "night owl," he maintained a unique "two sleeps" schedule, preferring to wake up in the middle of the night to record music.[17][4][62]
Calder generally structured his songs while recording them, rather than composing them in advance. He would lay down a guitar riff first, leaving the lyric-writing process for last.[17][29] Preferring the edge and nuances of a first take, he routinely embraced demo-quality recordings instead of polishing them in the studio.[29] Journalists noted this spontaneous recording technique contributed to the "murky and mysterious" atmosphere of his albums.[22] His hazy, indistinct vocal approach was heavily inspired by Panda Bear's 2007 album Person Pitch.[29]
He occasionally had to adapt his home-recording methods; after neighbor complaints regarding drum noise, he began utilizing drum samples to finish his tracks.[63] Beyond the studio, Calder openly discussed experiencing severe stage anxiety during live performances. While his early concerts featured heavily improvised comedy and inside jokes—such as intentionally alienating crowds by playing the theme song to King of the Hill ten times in a row—he eventually decreased the humor to focus more seriously on his musicianship.[63][29]
Music videos and visual style
In addition to audio production, Calder maintained a stylized visual aesthetic. He utilized vintage VHS cameras, green screens, and deliberate tape-distortion effects to create disorienting music videos.[64] For the release of his debut EP, he directed a retro-style video for the track "Light Leave Your Eyes," which established his visual tone.[65][66] He carried this aesthetic into the promotional cycle for Strange Dreams, enlisting his friend Cole Kushner to direct a music video for the melancholy track "Lola" that was deliberately designed to be as "stupid" and jarring as possible.[29][32]
Outside of his official music releases, Calder maintained a chaotic and comedic social media presence. Viewing internet culture as a joke, Calder cycled through seven different Instagram accounts, several of which were deleted by the platform for violating terms of service.[16] In one instance, he ran an account dedicated entirely to mundane photos of people in bathtubs, and openly criticized Instagram's censorship policies after the platform banned the page.[4] Using lo-fi video editing techniques, he also uploaded short films and tutorial videos on topics such as sweet potato fry recipes and laundry stain removal.[17] Journalists noted that his lighthearted, absurdist visual output stood in sharp contrast to the melancholic undertones of his songwriting.[6] Calder expressed little interest in the commercial aspects of the music industry, noting he was content making enough money to get by while working a part-time job.[17][67]
Discography
Studio albums
- Strange Dreams (2015)
- Alex Calder (2017; canceled)
Extended plays
- Time (2013)
Compilations
| ● Mold Boy (2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ● Bend (2016) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ● Collage Party (2020) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ● Pleated (2022) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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